Ladder and mounting for small boats

ABSTRACT

A single shaft ladder for use particularly by SCUBA divers in boarding small boats and a mounting bracket for mounting the ladder in angularly inclined relationship to the transom of a small boat with a top end portion of the ladder extending above and inwardly of the transom and with a bottom end portion extending in a downwardly divergent direction with respect to the transom into the water. The ladder has sets of opposite, laterally extending rungs spaced along the bottom portion of the ladder and a single rung extending laterally from one side of the upper portions of the ladder adjacent its top end to provide a handle for the person boarding the boat.

United States Patent [191 Gale et al.

1451 Mar. 11,1975

LADDER AND MOUNTING FOR SMALL BOATS inventors: William F. Gale, Box 11a.River Rd., Wapwallopen, Pa. 18660; James Douglas Thompson, Berwick, Pa.

Assignee: said Gale by said Thompson Filed: Feb. 28, 1974 Appl. No.:446,768

U.S. Cl. 9/1 R, 182/189 Int. Cl. E06c l/36 Field of Search 9/1 R; 114/.5R; 182/93,

References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS Smith .1 9/1 R 2,924,291 2/1960Tunstead 182/189 3,512,608 5/1970 Huntley 182/189 wllllill PrimaryE.\'aminer--Trygve M. Blix Assistant Examiner-Jesus D. Sotelo [57]ABSTRACT A single shaft ladder for use particularly by SCUBA divers inboarding small boats and a mounting bracket for mounting the ladder inangularly inclined relationship to the transom of a small boat with atop end portion of the ladder extending above and inwardly of thetransom and with a bottom end portion extending in a downwardlydivergent direction with respect to the transom into the water. Theladder has sets of opposite, laterally extending rungs spaced along thebottom portion of the ladder and a single rung extending laterally fromone side of the upper portions of the ladder adjacent its top end toprovide a handle for the person boarding the boat.

6 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures LADDER AND MOUNTING FOR SMALL BOATSBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to an improved ladderand bracket for mounting the ladder on the transom of a small boat.

Biological sampling by SCUBA divers is well established in marinebiology and is gaining importance in freshwater habitats. In small lakesand rivers, the diver often works from small boats with sides andtransoms too shallow to accommodate commercially available ladders,designed for larger boats. Modification of conventional ladders to fitsmall boats would not be worthwhile, because the ladders are poorlydesigned for SCUBA divers use. Conventional ladders, closed on bothsides by rung support shafts, are difficult to climb wearing cumbersomerubber fins; also, the ladders hang too close to the boat to providesufficient toe" space. Without a ladder, the diver must crawl over theside or the transom of a small boat to re-enter. Re-entry is difficultin icy, turbulent water, especially when laden with 45 to 60 kg of airtanks, weight belt and miscellaneous gear (gear removed in the water isoften lost). After struggling into the boat,-the diver sometimes losesbalance and sprawls forward, amidst sampies and gear in the bottom ofthe boat.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION By using the ladder described here afully-equipped diver can re-enter a small boat with dignity and ease,even in strong currents. The ladders most important features are itssingle shaft (open step" design), thus lack of side supports, its slopeand its location on the boat While wearing rubber fins, it is difficultfor the diver to.feel objects such as ladder rungs in front of his feetto determine their position. With the open step" it is easy for thediver to bring his feet to the ladder from the side; he can use theinner sides of his feet (where the rubber fins do not project outward)to locate the ladder rungs. Ladder slope is important, for if the anglebetween the shaft and the transom is 35 to 40, there is ample space forthe divers fins; this slope also allows the diver to lean forward whileascending, thereby eliminating the strain of the air tanks on hisshoulders. Location of theladder on the transom (the strongest and bestsupported part of the boat) is particularly important in rivers because:(1) the boat partially protects the diver from the current and (2) thediver can climb out of the water parallel to the current. Withconventional ladders, on the side of the boat, the

current twists the diver sideways as he tries to climb and sweeps hisfeet downstream.

The ladder extends about 75.0 cm below the water's surface to allow thediver to swim onto it. The lower rung provides a convenient in-the-waterresting site where the diver can kneel or stand. The ladder has a handleonly on the side next to the motor so that the diver can pass unhamperedon the other side. Boats with very narrow transoms can be operated withthe outboard motor slightly off-center to provide extra space for thediver and ladder. The ladder is removed from its bracket before theoutboard motor is placed into gear; the ladder is completely sealed andfloats if dropped into the water.

It is thus an object of the invention to provide an improved singleshaft ladder and bracket for mounting the ladder on the transom, or sideof a small boat. The

bracket includes a butt plate for abutting the transom. means forsecuring the butt plate adjacent the top edge of the transom, and a bedplate for supporting the ladder rigidly fixed to the butt plate andangularly inclined relative to the butt plate, the bed plate having afree end extension tab inclined above the top edge of the butt plate forinterlocking engagement with bracket engaging means secured to theladder shaft intermediate the ends of the shaft. The means for securingthe bracket to the transom may be a screw clamp or other clamping meansfor easily attaching and detaching the bracket to the transom or it maybe more permanent fastening means such as bolts or screws extendingthrough the butt plate and secured to the transom.

It is a further object of the invention to provide the ladder with setsof opposite laterally extending rungs spaced along the bottom portion ofthe ladder below the bracket, and with a single rung extending laterallyfrom one side only of the ladder shaft adjacent its top end. A rigidU-shaped member having a flat web portion integrally connected at rightangles to a pair of legs is welded or otherwise secured by the legs tothe ladder shaft intermediate its ends and nearest to the top end, inorder to provide a slot between the ladder shaft and the flat webportion for telescoping over the bracket tab.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Other objects and advantages of theinvention will become more apparent from the following description anddrawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a transom portion of a smallboat illustrating a preferred form of mounting bracket secured to thetransom of the boat;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view illustrating the invention mounted onthe transom of a small boat;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view takenon line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternate form of mounting bracket;

FIG. 6 is an elevational view looking at the clamp side of a mountingbracket shown in FIG. 5 illustrating the bracket mounted on a transomwhich is shown from inside the boat by broken lines.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawing andparticularly to FIG.

2 the improved single shaft ladder 10 of this invention is shown mountedby means of a bracket 11 on the transom 12 of a small boat 9. The hollowladder shaft 15 is rigidly supported intermediate its closed. top andbottom ends 13 and 14 respectively by the bracket 11 so that the bottomend portion 15 of the shaft extends downwardly and divergently outwardfrom the transom l2 terminating beneath the surface 8 of the water inwhich the boat 9 floats. The top portion 15" of the ladder shaft abovethe mounting bracket 11 extends upwardly and inwardly over the transom11. A single laterally extending rung 16 is provided adjacent the topend 13 of the ladder on the side only for a handle to assist a personentering the boat from the ladder. The other side of the upper portion15" of the ladder opposite the rung 16 is unobstructed to preventinterference with a person climbing over the transom on the unobstructedside of the ladder. The bottom portion of the ladder beneath the bracket11 includes sets 17 and 18 v of opposite laterally extending rungs 17a,17b and 18a, 18b respectively. The rung sets 17 and 18 are preferablyeach a single rod extending through holes 19 and 20 respectively in theshaft 15. A U-shaped bracket engaging member 21 comprising a flat webportion 22 integrally connected at right angles to a pair of legportions 23 and 24 is welded or otherwise attached by the leg members tothe opposite sides 26,27 of the shaft 15 leaving a space between the web22 and the underside 28 of the shaft 15 for close fitting telescopicengagement over a bracket tab extension 29 of the bracket 11. The laddershaft as shown in the cross sectional view in FIG. 4 is preferably ofrectangular tubular light metal stock, such as aluminum having walls 25,26, 27 and 28. The interior of the shaft is made a closed air chamber byproviding closed ends 13 and 14 andsealing the shaft around the rungs16, 17 and 18. The ladder 10 is thus made capable of floating on wateras a result of its light weight and enclosed air chamber.

The bracket 11 as shown in FIG. 1 includes a rectangular butt plate 30which is secured adjacent the top edge of the transom 12 on its sternside by means of stainless steel screws 31 extending through holesdrilled in the butt plate along the reinforcing rib 32 on opposite sidesof the plate 30. A bed plate 33 for supporting the ladder shaft 15 isrigidly connected in angularly inclined relationship to the butt plate30 by spaced parallel gusset plates 34 and 35 welded perpendicularly tothe butt plate 30. The gusset plates 34 and 35 extend above the uppersurface of the bed plate 33 to provide a channel which closely engagesthree sides of the ladder shaft 15. The upper portion of the bed plate33 terminates in the free end extension tab 29.

A second embodiment 11' of the mounting bracket for the ladder isillustrated in FIGS. and 6. This embodiment is like the first embodimentwith the addition of clamping means for clamping the mounting bracket toan edge of a boat. The mounting bracket 11' includes a butt plate 30, atopplate 36 integrally connected to the top edge of the butt plate andperpendicular thereto, a back plate 38 depending from the remote edge ofthe top plate 36 in spaced parallel relationship to the butt plate 30',an inclined bed plate 33' for supporting the ladder 10, having anextension tab 29; parallel gusset plates 34' and 35 connected to thebutt plate and top plate in perpendicular relationship thereto andsupporting the bed plate 33 between them, an upstanding reinforcing rib37 extending medially across the top plate from beneath the bed plateand down the outside of the backplate 38 where it terminates in acircular boss 43, and a clamp screw 39 extending through a threaded borein the boss 43 in perpendicular relationship to the butt plate 30. Theclamp screw 39 has a circular clamping jaw 40 rotatably connected on itsinner end and a handle 41 pivotally connected by pivot pin 42 at itsouter end. FIG. 6 shows the mounting bracket 11' clamped to the transom12 (shown in broken lines) of a small boat. By turning the screw 39 theclamping jaw 40 may be moved toward or away from the inside face of thebutt plate 30' to clamp or loosen the bracket relative to a side edge ofa boat. The manner of supporting the ladder on the mounting bracket 11'is the same as described with respect to the mounting bracket 11illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the ladder shaft resting on the bedplate 33 between the gusset plates 34 and 35 with the tab 29' of 4 thebracket 11 extending through the slot provided between theU-shapedmember 21 and the shaft 15.

The brackets 11 and 11' are preferably made from a strong light weightmetal such as aluminum which are resistant to corrosion in theenvironment in which they are used. The angular relationship of the bedplate to the butt plate is preferably within the range of 35 to 40degrees.

In use of the invention to board a small boat a swimmer will approachthe transom mounted ladder 10 from the stern. In so doing (assuming theboat is anchored from the bow and is aligned with the direction ofcurrent flow) the swimmer will swim into the current to approach theboat and will not-be subject to side currents. On reaching the ladder 10the swimmer can grasp the lower rungs of the ladder and pull himselfforward until his knees rest on the bottom set of rungs 17. Afterresting on the bottom set of rungs, the swimmer can then proceed toclimb the ladder while leaning forward so that air tanks or the likewhich the swimmer may carry on his back exert a downward force throughthe swimmers shoulders tending to force the swimmer toward the ladderinstead of pulling him backward as would be the case if the ladder weresupported in a'near vertical position with respect to the transom. Theswimmer on reaching the top of the ladder grasps the top rung 16 withhis left hand and swings himself into the boat on the unencumbered sideof the ladder opposite the rung 16. When the swimmer is in the boat, theladder 10 may be lifted aboard by grasping the rung l6 and pulling up onthe ladder until the loop 21 disengages the tab 29 of the bracketwhereupon the lightweight ladder may be easily lifted into the boat andthe boat can be gotten under way.

The term small boat as used in this specification refers to a boatusually of the open cockpit type which is normally propelled by anoutboard motor and thus has a transom shaped to supported the outboardmotor,

and it is for this type of boat that the invention is particularly butnot exclusively useful.

What is claimed is:

1. An improved ladder and mounting for small boats comprising incombination a single shaft ladder having top and bottom ends and bracketengaging means secured to the shaft intermediate said top and bottomends and dividing said ladder into top and bottom end portions, and abracket adapted to be secured near the top edge of the transom of a boatfor supporting said ladder angularly inclined with respect to thetransom with the bottom end portion of the ladder extending in adownwardly diverging direction with respect to the transom and with saidtop end portion extending above and over the top edge of the transom,said ladder having sets of laterally extending opposite rungs spacedalong the bottom portion of the ladder, and a single rung laterallyextending from one side of said ladder providing a handle near the topend of the ladder.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said bracket includes abutt plate adapted to abut the transom, means for securing said buttplate to said transom, a bed plate for supporting said ladder shaft andmeans rigidly supporting said bed plate in angularly inclinedrelationship with respect to said butt plate, said bed plate having afree end extension tab projecting above said butt plate, said bracketengaging means comprising means for interlocking with said tab andrigidly holding said ladder shaft on said bed plate.

3. The combination according to claim 2 wherein said bed plate isinclined with respect to said butt plate at an included angle selectedwithin the range of about 35 degrees to about 40 degrees.

4. The combination set forth in claim 2 wherein said means rigidlysupporting said bed plate includes a pair of spaced, parallel gussetplates rigidly joined perpendicularly to said butt plate, said bed platebeing included between said gusset plate and rigidly secured to saidgusset plates with the gusset plates extending above the upper surfaceof the bed plate to provide a channel which is adapted to closely engagethree sides of the ladder shaft.

5. The combination set forth in claim 2 wherein said means for securingsaid butt plate to said transom ineludes an adjustable screw clamp.

6. An improved boarding apparatus for use by swimmers, SCUBA divers andthe like in boarding small boats comprising in combination a small boathaving a transom with a top edge, a single shaft ladder having top andbottom ends and bracket engaging means secured to the shaft intermediatesaid top and bottom ends and dividing the ladder into top and bottom endportions, and a bracket secured near the top edge of the transom anddetachably supporting said ladder in angularly inclined relationshipwith respect to the transom with the bottom portion of the ladderextending in a downwardly diverging direction with respect to thetransom and with said top end portion extending above and over the topedge of the transom, said ladder having sets of laterally extendingopposite rungs spaced along the bottom portion of the ladder, and asingle rung extending from one side of the ladder providing a handlenear the top end of the ladder.

1. An improved ladder and mounting for small boats comprising incombination a single shaft ladder having top and bottom ends and bracketengaging means secured to the shaft intermediate said top and bottomends and dividing said ladder into top and bottom end portions, and abracket adapted to be secured near the top edge of the transom of a boatfor supporting said ladder angularly inclined with respect to thetransom with the bottom end portion of the ladder extending in adownwardly diverging direction with respect to the transom and with saidtop end portion extending above and over the top edge of the transom,said ladder having sets of laterally extending opposite rungs spacedalong the bottom portion of the ladder, and a single rung laterallyextending from one side of said ladder providing a handle near the topend of the ladder.
 1. An improved ladder and mounting for small boatscomprising in combination a single shaft ladder having top and bottomends and bracket engaging means secured to the shaft intermediate saidtop and bottom ends and dividing said ladder into top and bottom endportions, and a bracket adapted to be secured near the top edge of thetransom of a boat for supporting said ladder angularly inclined withrespect to the transom with the bottom end portion of the ladderextending in a downwardly diverging direction with respect to thetransom and with said top end portion extending above and over the topedge of the transom, said ladder having sets of laterally extendingopposite rungs spaced along the bottom portion of the ladder, and asingle rung laterally extending from one side of said ladder providing ahandle near the top end of the ladder.
 2. The combination according toclaim 1 wherein said bracket includes a butt plate adapted to abut thetransom, means for securing said butt plate to said transom, a bed platefor supporting said ladder shaft and means rigidly supporting said bedplate in angularly inclined relationship with respect to said buttplate, said bed plate having a free end extension tab projecting abovesaid butt plate, said bracket engaging means comprising means forinterlocking with said tab and rigidly holding said ladder shaft on saidbed plate.
 3. The combination according to claim 2 wherein said bedplate is inclined with respect to said butt plate at an included angleselected within the range of about 35* degrees to about 40* degrees. 4.The combination set forth in claim 2 wherein said means rigidlysupporting said bed plate includes a pair of spaced, parallel gussetplates rigidly joined perpendicular to said butt plate, said bed platebeing included between said gusset plate and rigidly secured to saidgusset plates with the gusset plates extending above the upper surfaceof the bed plate to provide a channel which is adapted to closely engagethree sides of the ladder shaft.
 5. The combination set forth in claim 2wherein said means for securing said butt plate to said transom includesan adjustable screw clamp.